Iran’s supreme leader has addressed the ongoing protests, insisting that “rioters must be put in their place.”

"We are locked and loaded and ready to go," the president said on Truth Social early Friday, after economic protests in the Islamic Republic took a sharply violent turn.

President Donald Trump said overnight the United States is "locked and loaded" as he warned Iran not to kill peaceful protesters as nationwide unrest unfolds in Tehran.

Galloping inflation and a currency crisis have provoked demonstrations across the country. Protests fueled by deepening economic hardship have swept Iran for more than a week, as soaring inflation has driven frustrated traders and university students into the streets of major cities, including the capital, Tehran.

Protests over rising living costs in Iran entered a fifth day, with multiple deaths reported in clashes between demonstrators and security forces as unrest spread across several cities.

Iran has been rocked this week by protests that started in Tehran and have spread to other cities, with at least six people killed in clashes with security forces. - Protesters and security forces clashed in several Iranian cities on Thursday,

Anti-regime protests entered a fifth day as demonstrations spread across Tehran and other cities, with reports of deaths emerging amid escalating nationwide unrest.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declares Iran is engaged in “total war” with the US, Israel and Europe. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has declared that Iran is engaged in what he described as a “total war” with the United States, Israel and Europe, according to interviews published by Iranian state media.

Iran has begun allowing foreign buyers to pay for advanced weapons using cryptocurrency, barter arrangements, or Iranian rials, according to officials from its